So says author and finance writer Kara McGuire, who urges teens to beware of the financial challenges that college and post-college debt can create.

“Teens and young adults today face greater challenges than I did when I was growing up,” she says.

There’s slower economic growth, more expensive education, more educated people and fewer jobs for those people. The teen unemployment rate has stayed above 20 percent since the Great Recession, McGuire notes in her latest project, a personal-finance book for millennials titled ” The Teen Money Manual” (Capstone Young Readers, 2014).

The book, which hit shelves this month in time for back-to-school preparation, is a roughly 200-page, visuals-heavy guide to financial literacy. Although the book is formatted to target middle-schoolers, it’s packed with useful information for anyone looking to learn something about savings, insurance, entrepreneurship and investments.

McGuire talks through some of the strategies behind networking, job-hunting, résumé-building and interviewing. She also explains the magic of compound interest, as well as the different types of savings accounts, banks and spending options (cash, credit, debit).

Robin Wise, president and CEO of Junior Achievement Rocky Mountain, says financial literacy is imperative because millennials may not be able to count on Social Security, and because today’s sometimes smaller benefit packages require employees to be well versed in growing and protecting their assets.

“Experiential learning is a powerful way for kids to learn something,” she says.

Wise recommends starting a savings system, whether it’s opening a savings account or stashing cash in an envelope. Look at your money not as a pile to spend, she says, but as a pile to chop up: spend some, save some and put another chunk away for a long-term goal — like college.

Viridiana Jaquez, a senior studying computer and information systems at Metropolitan State University, says saving for higher education has been intimidating. She hasn’t had to take out any loans because she’s diligent about tracking monthly expenses: car insurance, phone bill, rent, groceries, gym membership and so on. But she’s considering grad school out of state, which is more expensive, so she puts away a portion of her paycheck each month to prepare.

“I do think about a house already. I know it sounds crazy, but I want good credit for a house,” Jaquez, 21, says. “You need to show that you manage your money well. If you don’t, that’s not going to go away, and it’s going to take a while to fix.”

Jaquez, Wise and McGuire all underscore the need for parents to talk to their kids about finances — and vice versa. Parents can sometimes be embarrassed about the mistakes they’ve made, so it’s hard to talk to kids about problems like debt, Wise says.

But it’s important for guardians to defog misconceptions about credit cards, retirement funds and college-tuition scrambles.

“There wasn’t the notion in my head that I wasn’t going to do better than my parents,” McGuire says of her childhood. “If you’re going to college, you’re going to graduate and be successful. It’s a given, it’s part of the American Dream — but now there’s a little bit of rethinking for that.”

As summer fades and back-to-school action cranks into full gear, personal finance experts and teachers recommend getting in the mind set of the future sooner rather than later. “The financial industry doesn’t pay attention to you until you’ve amassed a ton of money,” says author and finance writer Kara McGuire. “But you can’t get there unless you have the proper building blocks when you’re young.” Here are some of McGuire’s tips you can use to prepare:

1 Take a financial literacy class: If your school doesn’t already have such a class, organizations like Junior Achievement provide students and classrooms with opportunities to learn about entrepreneurship, finances and workforce readiness.

2 Think like an entrepreneur: Part-time jobs are becoming harder to find. They’re going to adults, causing teens to focus more on activities, McGuire says. The trick: Turn a hobby into extra spending money. Well-trained thrift shoppers might be able to turn items around on eBay for a profit.

3 Plan for after college: Starting to save now for retirement might seem extreme, but setting money aside in a Roth IRA account is a good way to save a little at a time, while lowering your tax bill.

4 Build credit: Contrary to negativity surrounding credit cards in the last decade, establishing solid credit is not only good, it’s necessary. Good credit will make the difference on a loan approval or better insurance rates. If credit cards are not an option, use debit cards and prepaid cards.

5 Protect yourself: Insurance is not something most teens and young adults think about. But it’s a good topic to talk about with parents before going off to school. If you’re living in a dorm or apartment on your own, are your possessions covered by your parents’ home insurance policy? Or do you need a rental-insurance policy? For the traveling student, a working knowledge in car insurance is also vital.

6 Be careful with lump sums: Do your best not to go overboard with dining out, shopping or experiencing new places with new people. College often unites people of myriad economic situations, which can pressure some to spend outside their comfort zones. Go into college with a frugal game plan and stick to it.

7 Budget, budget, budget: Watch your back-to-school budget by taking a more considerate approach to shopping. Instead of splurging on the newest, latest fads or technologies, ask yourself if something is a need or a want.

8 Compare prices: Back-to-school shopping is the perfect opportunity to instill smart shopping habits. Compare prices on jeans, computers and other necessities to get the best bang for your buck. Nail this down, and you’ll be prepared for when the stakes are higher (see: cars, houses, vacations).